1 May 2023
EMPORIA, Kan. (KSNW) — The David Traylor Zoo of Emporia announced the birth of a bison calf. The 48-pound bull was born on Monday, April 24, to Beulah, 4, and Bill, 20.
“Beulah’s new baby was born in the holding area next to the bison exhibit at 3:45 p.m. He is strong and healthy, and his Mom takes good care of him,” the Emporia Zoo says.
The calf can be seen daily in the exhibit just north of the Bison Exhibit, where the Emporia Zoo says mom and baby will remain until they can be re-introduced to Bill.
American Bison are massive and thick-coated, bison were once the icons of North America’s Great Plains – the largest land animals on the continent. They were also once the most abundant, with an estimated 20 million, commonly called buffalo, roaming the Great Plains. In Kansas in 1870, bison roamed only the western half of the state, and within the next ten years bison herds were virtually gone. The last bison in Kansas was killed in 1886. Today through management, bison have made a comeback and approximately 200,000 exist in national parks, preserves, tribal lands, zoos, and private herds.”
The David Traylor Zoo of Emporia
In 1955 the American buffalo was named the state animal of Kansas. In 2016, it was named the national mammal of the United States.
“Bison grow five to six and a half feet tall at the shoulder and can weigh over a ton,” the Emporia Zoo says. “They have curved, sharp horns that can grow to be two feet long.”
The Emporia Zoo also says that bison are herbivores, and each eats about 15 pounds of grasses, herbs, shrubs and twigs per day.
Their average life span is fifteen 15 to 20 years, according to the Emporia Zoo.
For more information about bison, visit the Emporia Zoo’s Facebook page.